Hot potatoes: Stuck in co-hurt system
Dunno who deserves a Rotten Potato most in the judicial two-step that will land scared-straight Kendra Goodrick of Hayden back in prison. 1st District Judge John Mitchell for overstepping his authority? The Kootenai County prosecutor’s office for appealing her case? The Idaho AG’s office for joining the prosecutor’s appeal? Kendra is the 29-year-old mother of a newborn who embraced Mitchell’s second chance to turn her life around. A recovering meth addict, Kendra cleaned up her life after Mitchell granted her probation in January 2006. Not only did she land a job, marry her boyfriend and give birth to her first child (April 10), but she’s stayed clean, continues to seek help to fight her addiction, and volunteers to walk dogs at the Kootenai Humane Society. She’s a model of success. But none of this matters now. Kendra’s waiting for the gendarmes to break up her family and haul her off in handcuffs, now that the prosecutor’s office has successfully argued on appeal that Mitchell acted outside his jurisdiction when he granted Kendra’s probation. I don’t have room to go into the specifics here, except to say that Kendra might remain in prison for six months before she gets a Commission of Pardons and Parole hearing. Someone here deserves a psych-illogical exam. And it ain’t Kendra.
Not quite ‘Full Monty’
You’d better warn the older season ticket holders who attend the Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre productions that they’re going to see a lot of flesh – butt cheeks mostly – but not “The Full Monty” when the R-rated production begins this week. The cast includes Local Thespians Done Good Robby French (Coeur d’Alene) and Christian Duhamel (Silver Valley). Gentlemen, man your G-strings. Seasoned Citizens, make sure your pacemakers are in working order … Bumpersnicker (spotted by M.E. Gary Graham during a trip to Glacier National Park): “All men make mistakes. Married men learn about them sooner” … French Fries (or, “Coeur d’Alene Ain’t Big Enough for All the Stars Hanging Out There”): 1. George Clooney, 2. Matthew McConaughey, 3. Lance Armstrong, 4. Scott Hamilton and 5. Bruce Willis.
Anyone see WMDs, yet?
Headliner: “GOP support on Iraq waning: Lugar speech signals problems for Bush.” I hate to admit it, but a friend of mine is right when he sez of this losing cause: “I’d hate to be the one who tries to tell the parents of the last soldier killed in Iraq that their sacrifice was worth it.” (DFO to self – Did I just say that out loud or did I just think it?) DFO (composing self): Er, stay the course … Alberto Gonzales Lament: U.S. attorneys and torture and anti-war protesters, oh my … This edition of Hot Potatoes was brought to you by the No. 300. Or the number of George Washingtons that it costs annually to be a member of the Spokane Rotary Club, a bill that $139,000-per-year Spokane Chief Operating Officer John Pilcher wanted the taxpayers to foot for him. Or, Brother John, does that mean your commitment to fellow Rotarians is less than heartfelt?
You can read D.F. Oliveria’s Huckleberries Online blog daily at www.spokesman-review.com/blogs/hbo.